How long can you power a 5,000btu air conditioner with a 12v 100ah Lifepo4 battery? Let's find out!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2024
- I wanted to do a test with a small 5000btu windows air conditioner and a 12v 100ah Lifepo4 battery. This test is to find out how long the air conditioner will run when it's 100 degrees outside!
List of the Items in this Video:
Frigidaire FFRA051WAE Window-Mounted Room Air Conditioner, 5,000 BTU with Temperature Control and Easy-to-Clean Washable Filter, in White
amzn.to/3xu4QPV
Power Inverter 2000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter DC 12V to AC 110V 120V with Digital LCD Display and 2 GFCI AC Outlets Dual 4.8A USB Ports & Remote Controller LEESKY
amzn.to/3J4USar
PowerUrus 12v 100ah Lifepo4 Battery
powerurus.com/products/poweru...
Amazon Link: amzn.to/4ckxdPk
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#inverter #LifePo4 #OffGrid
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These are the kind of videos I like you to do like you used to do when you first started.😎👍
Glad you like them! The reviews help me maintain the channel, but these are the videos I really like to produce. Thanks for the comment!
Im a really warm person, I work nights and sleep during the day (not well with its warm). Even with a room AC unit, I need a fan blowing directly on me. I just use the portable fan as much as possible. The portable fan is actually more effective than an AC unit when using just one or the other. I'd only use my batteries to power the AC when I need to go to sleep. Or for like a 10 minutes cool down here and there when the room is unbearable.
Thanks for sharing and the comment!
These mechanicl controlled AC units are great to use with an appliance timer. I run one 2 hours on, 1 hour off when on grid power, 1 hour on, 2 hours off when using off-grid power. A fan is definitely needed either way. lol
@@MississippiHomesteadJourney my in room AC unit has a single push button on/off, so I am hoping it defaults to cooling if I use an appliance timer switch.
Excellent experiment, We cool our small camper with a 5000 btu ac and have been surprised at how long it will run after the camper cools off. We use a Ecoflow Delta and it shows a couple hours of power, but after the sun goes down we can double that and more.
Thank you! Outside temperature really makes a huge difference. Thanks for the comment.
What I do during power outages running off my battery is sit right in front of my small air conditioner. I mounted in the window behind my camper`s couch. When it`s 100 degrees in Louisiana with 100% humidity sitting in front of the air conditioner is a must when the thermostat is set for efficiency. I`m getting a second battery, MPPT charge controller, and a cheaper smaller inverter for backup. Before storms I top off my battery with a 20 amp LiFeP04 charger and I just got a second 30 amp charger today after seeing a deal on one. It came with multiple ways to connect it too so I don`t have to use the alligator clips.
That nice. Doesn't matter how big the room is when you do that! 😉. Getting another charger is always a good idea. Thanks for the comment.
People don't understand when that Humidity gets above 80% it's like Doubling the temperature
My record using a 12v 300ah Ampere Time battery and a 2000w inverter using an old school 400w manual Frigidaire 5000 btu was 32 hours when it was about 80 degrees. It averages 18 hours with the thermostat set properly between 85 and 90 and 20 to 22 hours at 85 degrees.
Thanks for the info and the comment!
You would do a lot better if you set the thermostat for 130 degrees.
What's the point of 85 to 90 degrees?? Might as well just sit in the shade
@thisvsthat6930 the dehumidification in 80-90 % humidity here in South Louisiana plus a fan matters. 80 degrees with 50% humidity is comfortable, at 80% your sweat just beads up in a miserable way. The breeze from a fan won't cool you if the sweat doesn't evaporate
@@user-dt3sq7rw3b I have never been in an 80 degree house and thought it was comfortable. 78 and up and it's too warm.
I have a 5000 in my camper and I have solar panels hooked up to my batteries on a sunny day 500 watts will keep batteries fully charged during the hottest part of the day . That would be a good video to do
I do plan on adding 200w of solar to see the difference. Thanks for the comment and info.
Here is SE Michigan, I have a similar setup with several battery banks (AGM, FLA, and LiFePO4) running a LG5k BTU. Running all day with 900watts of solar on one array using FLA, no issues. But once the sunsets, the real test (as your video shows) is how long a battery will hold up. I have 4-Renogy AGM 200Ah in parallel (12v) and honestly they SUCK are NOT cheap. The 24v FLA batteries actually do much better than one would expect. The LiFePO4 have a more stable voltage. My advice is this: Run the highest nominal voltage you can afford to lower the current drain which is what kills batteries especially at 12v and have a good or multiple solar MPPTs with at least 500 watts on each MPPT. My testing is good enough for me to keep the back room much cooler from 10am until 9pm since two MPPTs easily handle to load and keep the battery at 13.8 all day long......however, its much cheaper to use the grid, but in a power outage or off grid you don't have an alternative other than to run a generator. Also, my projects are wife approved since she hates heat!
Thank you for sharing that great information!
Great video. I run a small 3000w generator for 3 hours and charge fridge, batteries and little 8000 btu window HVAC, then I turn off the generator and run just the HVAC on batteries.
Thanks for sharing and for the comment.
Correct, that's why in the hvac world, it's important to appropriately size the heat and AC.
Thank you for the comment.
Good experiment done properly!
Thank you very much!
I did a 3 month monitor run of a similar AC unit in a similar shed shop in South Texas last summer. Similar results. I built the shed very well insulated, but the heat outside was rough, high humidity; about 30 minute drive from the Gulf of Mexico. 80*f is nice once the humidity is lowered. It takes a little practice to "calibrate" the mechanical temperature controls.
Thank you for the info and the comment.
Great video. Good info. I have a Midea 12000 btu inverter AC. Runs very efficiently and blows ice cold air.
Thanks for sharing and the comment.
Thanks for the video. It answered a lot of questions. I just ordered a couple of days ago an Eg4LL battery and the Eg4 off grid inverter to use as a mobile/portable power bank. This will be to power on occasion an 8000 BTU window unit when we lose power. Thank you.
That's great! Thanks for the comment.
It’s difficult to preform these tests because even if you succeed in isolating all the variables the next time someone attempts to use this information they will be doing so with a new set of variables (Outside temp and humidity, inside temp and humidity, solar intensity) I set up my solar generator after hurricane season aka winter, I then tested it in the summer aka hurricane season and both my fridges used double the power 🤔 I determined that ambient room temperature plays a big part in the fridges efficiency and had to alter my design to compensate 👍
I definitely appreciate the test as a baseline that’s why I watch videos like this 👍
Thank you for the information and the comment.
Nice job 👍
Thanks 👍
One of the biggest factors to how much power an AC unit will draw is the outside temperature. I am running a very similar 5,000 btu window unit in my Van with 300ah of Lithium and a very similar 2000 watt inverter. I am using a Victron battery shunt. When it was in the 80's to lower 90's I was drawing a total of 500 to 550 watts of power. That includes the power the inverter uses and the power loss from converting DC to AC power because I got those numbers from my battery shunt. Today it's 100 degrees with some humidity and I am seeing over 600 watts of power draw up to 675 watts for brief time periods. As temperature rises so does the refrigerant pressure inside the system, when the pressure rises the compressor has to work harder to re circulate the refrigerant. Maybe when you tested the other AC unit it was a few degrees cooler outside??
Thanks for the info and the comment. It was cooler outside when I did the 8kbtu test.
Intresting experiment
Thanks for the comment.
Great vid!👍🏾
Thank you! 😃
My home setup have 2x 425W panels, Victron 100/50, 12V 280Ah Battery, 2000w inventter and Toshiba Polar 25 AC unit.
AC i run most time with 50% power and takes around 32 amps / 400W when compressor is running.
Daytime i get more from solar than AC uses, evening i run it bit and night time its just in fanmode.
I use solarpowert also for coffee maker, airfryer, toaster and also charge my e-scooters.
Thank you for the comment and sharing your setup.
i did something like this with my solar generator and a window a/c. i found if you put the window a/c to 'max cool' the condenser will never turn off, so the wattage it uses is always the maximum (in my case it was about 425 wh). when i put it the temperature dial to half way between min and max, the condenser would cycle on/off as you would expect and the wattage dropped to about 200 wh on average or less.
I’ll keep my generator handy. But this is nice to know. Thanks.
Thanks for the comment.
I have 2 100ah lithium lipo4 batteries and 3200 watts of solar and I run my ac ,fridge and TV all-day long
That's great to hear! Thanks for the comment.
I really appreciate your videos, and need to see what inverter yiu are using, thanks
There is a link to the inverter in the description.
Thinking about getting the Allpower 2500 with a media 8000 btu inverter ac with panels for my off grid RV.
Thanks for sharing and the comment!
There are so many things wrong with this scenario that inexperienced folks just don't realize, but I'lltry to explain: Simple math and a few facts are 5000 BTU equal .41666 of a 1 ton measured in BTU's. One ton in BTU's = 12,000 btu's which equals 1 horse power= 757 watts. So 757 x .41666 = 315 watts.... Accounting for fan watts of (approximately) 35 watts = ~350 total watts. Lastly, this 12 volt battery is rated @ 100 amps per one hour = 1200 watts.
Even if one were able to draw the entire 1200 watts from this (or any other) battery is not likely to happen and this is why: A 1200 watt (rated battery) ÷ by the 350 watt (AC unit) = 3.428 hours of run time. But accounting for losses in the inversion (2000 watt inverter) (changing DC to AC) plus heat losses due to electrical current in the wiring + inverter + battery you would be doing well to get 2 to 2 1/2 hours maximum run time with the compressor running and never accomplish much cooling while doing so. Bottom line: One would need 3 to 4 of these same 12 volt 100 amp batteries (connected in parallel) to cool that room with the AC unit to any reasonable/ comfortable level. Why? Because it isn't just the air temp you deal with, its the stored heat in the furniture, the walls, and everything else you're trying to cool too. 😊
bad math divide btu by 3.412 to get watts . so its 3516 watts = 4.695 hp = 12000 btu. so the rest of your rambling is just as valid.
This is just one example of a situation that's different for everyone. Thanks for the comment.
I have a Midea inverter window unit that is about 30% more efficient than a normal window unit the same capacity. That might give you a longer run time. On low cool it pulls 2.5 amps (120 volts) and it maintains a 9x10 room at 75 deg. with a 95 outdoors temperature. That is right at 300 watts electricity draw.
That's pretty good! Thanks for the comment and info.
I have 2.35kw of panels on the roof of my 14 x 36' cabin. My 48v 3k watt inverter runs a 12k BTU AC and 2 box fans every day with a 48v 100ah battery. The system also powers all my interior lighting, and a lot more.
Thank you for sharing your setup and also the comment!
Good video. Many variables can account for varying results. It would be good to know the amps when the unit is running and then when it is idle. I know this is not about efficient air conditioners but I prefer the mini split to standard window units. Anyway thanks for the video and all the best from north Texas.
You're welcome. When the compressor is running it used about 35-40A. It used around 9A with just the fan. Thanks for the comment and stay cool in Texas!
@@OffGridBasement yes we hibernate in summer in Texas. When I grew up in northern Minnesota we hibernated in winter. Haha
Would like to see how long battery lasts when the room is already cool at start of test
Great video. I'd like to see the run time with same battery/same window a/c but with four added 100 watt solar panels. And also the smallest inverter that would run that a/c. And also pure sine vs. modified sine inverter for the same a/c.
Those are all great ideas. I'll add them to the list! Thanks for the comment.
Modified sine wave, especially the poorly modified cheap units, will shorten the life of your air conditioner. Some of the cheap inverters are no more than square wave with a spike at each phase shift.
There are many variables in a test like this. You should have no problem running it in that configuration on a nice sunny summer day.
Since he started around 5 pm, I don't think that the solar would help much, but I bet a smaller inverter, say 1000 or 800 watt one would help.
@@OffGridBasement
I'm curious, would it be better to buy another battery & switch to it when the first one depleted or wire them together. Which way would have longer run time ?
I would be curious where the comfortable temp would be, I am thinking if i set the temp at 78-79 just to be not uncomfortable, it would stretch out the time…
Yes it would. The compressor would kick on as much, reducing the amount of energy needed. Thanks for the comment.
Now that's the kind of real world test I was looking for. Now, how long would the ac run if panels and a charge controller were added? Could it maintain the ac while the sun is out and still have the 3 hours when the sun goes down?
You would probably need about 400w of solar and a sunny day to pull that off. Thanks for the comment.
@@OffGridBasement Truth.
Would a 1000 watt power bank power that ac unit? I'm new to all this interver, battery and solar stuff. Trying to figure out what's more advantageous. Power bank, like a Jackery or the inverter battery option.
Thanks so much!
A 1000 watt power bank will provide enough in wattage but you must check the specs in available amperage output. If the bank is capable of a 40 amp amperage draw it should work. But 45 amps or more would give some room. 1000w/12v=83 amps. If the manufacturer is being honest in its specs it should work. But also you much look at the specs on how much storage it has. If the battery bank is 30amp hour of storage it won’t last long even though it will work.
Thank you! ❤️
I would like to see a 48V battery with the same AC unit to see how much the losses improve with the smaller wire size and battery current.
Thanks for the suggestion and the comment.
This test had two stages. #1) Cooling down the room to the set point temperature. #2) Maintaining the set-point temperature.
The first stage will pull a lot of energy per hour. The second stage will pull less per hour and is the more important reading, in my opinion. It will dictate the amount of solar power input that is required to keep the a/c unit running while the sun is available.
Thank you for the info and the comment. I plan on doing the same test with a 230ah battery to see the difference. I should get over 7 hours of runtime.
I'm not familiar with your 12v app. I recently contacted an a/c retailer concerning their 8,000 watt window a/c
to find out the startup, and continuous amp requirement for their 120v ac air conditioner. I was told to expect
10-13 amp start up amps, no comment on continuous run amps. It would be helpful to know both your startup,
and continuous amps needed from the inverter to the a/c unit. I've also looked into the use of an RV Soft Start
device that makes it possible to run an a/c with a smaller power source/generator.
The continuous would probably be around 4 - 5A. I was told this unit has a soft start built in, but I haven't confirmed that. Hope this helps. Thanks for the comment.
I do these tests all the time. You are missing so many factors. The first and most important thing is your thermal load. That will keep that ac compressor running non stop. I run a 5000 btu unit on solar. I can get 3.2 hours run time for every 1000 watts used. The bed room is a 20x20 room. My thermal load is very small. If I turn on the unit when the room is already at or close to the desired temp wich is around 73F, I can get over 4 hours for every 1000 watts used . That battery would get me around 4.5 hours in prime conditions
Correct. There are an unlimited amount of factors that go into this scenario. It's more just a proof of concept for people that want to know all their available options. Thanks for the comment.
I have a Midea u shape with a champion 998 wh and last forever around 5 hours in 72 ac temperature and 100 plus degrees outside I recommend Midea 8.000 watts efficiency
They seem to be the talk of the town. Pricey, but well worth it. Thanks for the comment.
Do you know if the inverter scales up to the load or does it run at 2000 no matter what. Bciz that would effect your time.
The inverter only powers what is needed. Hope this helps.
Don't rely on your BMS in case of an accidental short circuit across positive and negative cables. Always fuse your cable to protect it from insulation melting, and resultant fire. LFP batteries have a very low internal resistance, and if you had an accidental short, there would by an unprecedented amount of energy being discharged through those battery cables... Two cents from a professional in the industry.
Yes. If this wasn't a demonstration then I would definitely fuse the positive connection with a 150A fuse on the 2 awg wire. Thank you for the information and the comment.
my question is, who made you cut off the hippy hair? I have the same A/C but I have it connected to my solar system.
Hahaha! I quickly realized hippy hair and summer heat don't mix. Thanks for the comment.
@@OffGridBasement lol
Add 1,000 watts of solar and it will run all day.
That is correct! Thanks for the comment.
How many watts does the AC take while cooling (compressor is running)?
Edit: I looked up your link 450w.
I have 300Ah lithium batteries, I guess I multiply your results by 3 to give me a idea.
I plan on doing the same test with a 230ah battery to see if it gives me about 7 hours. I feel like it should be longer. Thanks for the comment.
Yes Sir, but add some watts per hour rate for the large inverter's overhead. Also decrease running time because of the conversion loss using an inverter.
Does your APP records your peak starting of the A/C? If so, how much current was it?
The app doesn't capture that. I would need to have a clamp meter attached. I've been told it has a soft start, but I haven't confirmed that yet. Thanks for the comment.
Should have started the test at 10am and use two batteries. Switch them to record individual performance. The question is : how long will the second battery last after the first one cooled the room down ? Could it be 6 hours ?
Possibly, due to the room getting down to a stable temperature. Thanks for the suggestion and comment.
Very interesting. I have a window unit that says it is 115v and 4amps, so I guess in theory, mine may run as long as 12.5 hours (taking a 100amp battery to the 50% level)?
This would be 100amp*50%=50amps, then 50amps/4amps=12.5hrs
Or am I calculating this wrong? (When the power has gone out in the past, I have run two window units on a propane 3kw generator, and I use a 2k watt inverter on a battery to run the fridge, a chest freezer, a big TV, the cable modem & router, a couple of lamps and a fan. I have never ran this setup more than 3 hours, before the power came back on, so not sure how long it would have lasted.
My plan was to have 2 batteries, so one could be getting re-charged via the propane generator while the other was running the appliances, and swap them out every 6 hours or whenever it actually needed.
You need to calculate it to DC voltage. The best way is to find the watt-hour then divide by the voltage of the battery.
115v * 4 = 460wh
460wh ÷ 12.8v = 36Ah
So if you have a 12v 100ah battery then it will last roughly 2.5 - 3 hours.
Hope this helps!
@@OffGridBasement Okay - I think this helps me with estimates. Thank you for the clarification. It may make more sense for me to have 5-6 batteries to rotate on the window unit, and just use the generator to recharge them, since I do not have any solar. It would let my propane last way longer then, since it could charge 4 batteries at a time in about an hour using the built-in charge port and a few external charges plugged in.
Thank you again.
An empty room? Remember the average person in a room puts of about 100 watts of heat.
Yes. This is just one scenario of a million. Thanks for the comment.
I just did this over Fathers day weekend. But I used my 12 v 122 ah Marine battery, And I ran my 5,000 air conditioner for 2 hours before I shut it down and switched over to the generator because I needed the battery to run my winch Sunday morning to pull my cabin back up on the trailer. Which it did. Not sure what amperage or wattage it used, wasn't to concerned about it at the time but I do know the battery tested at 11.4 on my meter and that was after loading my cabin back up. So what I am wondering is, why someone would spend $300 plus on these LifePo batteries. I paid 100 bucks at Walmart for my marine battery 2 years ago . Now I think their about 120 bucks. That's a test I would love to see, Marine battery vs Lifepo batteries.
Basically lead acid vr lithium
Why buy Lifepo4? Because your Walmart battery has 500 charge cycles TOPS - even a cheap Lifepo4 will have 2500 charge cycles.
My reasoning is cycle life and weight. Thanks for the comment.
@@grindychum Ya I thought that would be the only real difference between the two. Thanks for the replied comment .
@modwrath810 There are many positive differences between the two. The walmart battery only produces half the rated capacity and if it drains to zero it severely limits it's lifespan - lifepo4 outputs the full 100ah capacity till 2000/3000 cycles then reduces to 80% and No damage draining to zero. Lifepo4 also is half the weight and emits no fumes/gasses.
May I ask how many watts your inverter uses as overhead at Idle?
It uses about 7w of stand by consumption.
@@OffGridBasement Thank you, Sir. I have a low frequency 2500/7500 that takes 50-70 watts. I wondered what the relatively same sized high frequency took.
The much higher seer rating on newer inverter type air conditioners wll consume less power. A cheap conventional 5000 btu window unit with standard 11 seer is a power hog compared to a inverter style 12,000 btu unit with a 15 seer rating, this larger more powerful one uses less watt-hours of power cooling a larger space. Seer is btus of cooling per watt. Some mini split units have seer ratings in the 22-24 range.
Thank you for the information and the comment.
VxAH=TTLwattHours (12vx100AmpHours=1200wHours,400watts for 3hrs)
Thanks for the comment and info.
Is the battery sufficient for the duration of its charge? To play ps5 (12v 7ah
Yes. The voltage is very constant. 90% of the capacity is between 13.3v and 12.3v.
Are you really Larry Bird?
Hahah! That's a first! Thanks for the comment.
That ac unit has a factory soft start
Thanks for the information and the comment.
if the ac = 5amps ac *120 v= 600 watts / 12 v = 50amps dc. so for 100amp battery is 2 hours.
That is if the AC compressor is running constantly. Once the room gets to temp, only the fan runs.
Add 200 watts of solar n mppt , run all day n and a few hrs after😊 sun sets...
Thanks for the comment!
How are you going to run a 400 watt air conditioner all day on 200 watts of solar? The battery will be dead in 5 hours at most.
12V
The difference is the outside temperature.
Thank you for the info and the comment.
I have an ac with a built in inverter it sips power
I've been told they are very efficient. Almost double the efficiency of this unit. Thanks for the comment.
@@OffGridBasement I just tested a portable ac unit that's 5000 BTU and it was drawing double the amps,so I'd say if u use a portable unit it will just empty 100 ah lithium ion battery quickly ...
Compressor kicked on not condenser
Yes. Bad wording on my part. Thanks for the comment.
0:45 Shorter fan life is the result of running the unit on HIGH COOL for extended periods. HIGH COOL is only meant for a short duration "quick cooldown."
Thanks for the heads up.
That lightweight 2,000 Watt high frequency, transformerless inverter will only last you a year if you're lucky. You should never power an AC unit with a high frequency, transformerless inverter. You should be using a low frequency, transformer based inverter if you want to power any size AC unit.
Thanks for the information and the comment.
Can you give an example of the correct model to use?
@@vladimus9749 Victron Energy, Outback Power, Sigineer Power, Magnum Energy all make longer lasting, higher surge capacity inverters.
That low of BTU it wouldn't cool much.
Yep. The room has to be pretty small. A popup camper would be good. Thanks for the comment.
You might be surprised what a 5k window ac can do in a well insulated house. Last summer my 5k kept my FL house comfortable for 4 days until parts came in for my central unit. Best $135 I ever spent.
Condensers don't run, compressors do.
Oops! Thanks for the comment and info.
Now,I find that these 5k btu air conditioners produce colder air on low cool than on high cool because the air is moving slower over the coil fins.
Great to know. Thanks for the comment and info.
just buy a generator. it's probably less money as well
"To each is own" I say. Do what's best for you and your situation. Thanks for the comment.
Why are you sweating 😓 lol its gotta be higher then that
I just came in from outside. Bad decision on my part when trying to produce an AC video! 😁
Yeah, you did the test so I applaud that, but it's dumb. It gives you no useful information and you could never use this rig to do anything really. There's 12 V air conditioners available. But they still use a lot of amperage, and it's hard to keep up with them with any type of solar rig, on, certainly a camper
This is one scenario out of a billion. It's really just proof of concept. Thanks for the comment.
The obsession Americans have with running AC on batteries is ludicrous.
People just like to know all their options.
Next why don't you just do one of these videos showing how long a television and cable modem with router can last for an off-grid situation because I'm sure during a power outage people are still going to want to be able to watch TV which state could easily do on a system setup like this if it's the right type and yes the cable system will still work as long as it's not been damaged by storms so therefore as long as the infrastructure in the cable system is good then you'll still have cable during a power outage you just have to apply power to your stuff I've done that before and it does work so I'd rather you show us that it can be done because I know it can but I want others to see this